From the moment he saw Sophia, Shuge had already made up his mind and would not easily believe any of her words.
If the Princess of Walter wants to understand and verify the strange events and disasters that happened in Salem City, Shuge can still understand. After all, Sophia is now closely related to Walter's military system and has extremely frequent contact.
, understanding these events may be able to provide certain help to frontline troops and soldiers.
But if Sophia said that she knew nothing about Prince Havid's death, Shuge would never believe it.
He was certain that no matter when and where, the struggle for imperial power had always been the center of conspiracy and struggle.
A princess who can gain the support of the people and win the trust of the military by relying on her personal abilities in the Kingdom of Walter... It is not too simple no matter how you think about it.
In the past few days after waking up, Shuge had asked Alfred and Weilin more than once to confirm the circumstances of Prince Havid's assassination. When he learned that the vehicle in which Prince Havid was riding
When it was theoretically possible to cross the battlefield filled with artillery fire, Xiuge knew that the path to this matter was probably much more complicated than he expected.
In this assassination incident that shocked most of Van En, there were not only the shadows of the independent government of Salem City and the Black Sun Society, but also the traces of the Walter royal family. In comparison, he was hit on the head by that series of combination punches.
The confused Delan Kingdom and those "hot-blooded youths" who were completely used as gunmen seemed particularly passive and pathetic.
Of course, Xiuge could understand the meaning of Princess Sophia's last words.
She dared to call herself the princess in front of the two of them and the royal steward, which is enough to show that Sophia has indeed gained an absolute upper hand in the current heir power struggle. Not only that, she has also started active preparations -
—Expand your own sphere of influence and extend it to some new areas.
The Ernst family was apparently one of her targets.
Although the situation was unprecedentedly safe and the sleeping environment was extremely comfortable, Xiuge still found it difficult to fall asleep deeply.
And when he finally got rid of the chaotic thoughts and successfully fell into sleep, he had that dream again.
"Faced with limited conditions, time and choices, all I can do is choose the lesser of two evils, that's all."
On the bow of the ship, Xiuge saw an extremely huge bow image.
This series of conjectures made Xiuge feel very uncomfortable. Although he was in a VIP room at the Adlon Hotel at the moment, and there were even elite Ymir Legion soldiers guarding the door, he still had a strong feeling.
The feeling of being watched and spied on.
He always felt that the series of plans and actions of the Black Sun Society in Salem City seemed to be vaguely consistent with the trajectory left by the Ernst family. However, the problem was that Shuge had no direct evidence to prove this.
a little.
Seemingly realizing that there was something wrong with her words, Weilin coughed slightly, readjusted her state, and said: "I'm not praising you specifically, but just so that you can better understand what I'm going to say next.
if."
Everything was so bizarre, but Xiuge couldn't point out anything strange about it.
Wei Lin is a little autistic.
Shouge walked to the side of the ship holding the compass, and he was surprised to see that this huge ship actually had "oars". To be precise, they were black tentacles twisted into oars. They moved from the hull of the ship.
The side of it grew out and was constantly paddling in the sea water.
Weilin thought about it carefully, and then confirmed that if she had not accepted the commission, she should be seriously studying her own subject or learning and dismantling new magic in a library now.
"But I don't know what to do with Princess Sophia's invitation."
Of course Xiuge is also autistic.
She had never regretted the decisions she had made in the past, but this time, she really regretted accepting the commission from the Ernst family.
However, Xiuge had no idea of appreciation at the moment. He asked: "Miss Weilin, what do you... think of Princess Sophia's 'invitation'?"
The moment the door closed, her voice squeezed out from the crack in the door and fell crisply into the living room.
As before, he held the compass and walked on the deck, but this time the sea was calm and there was warm sunlight shining in the sky.
"But I always believe that the choices an individual can make often match the power, background and capital he possesses, and when all of this reaches a certain limit, people will naturally be able to carve out a third line from it.
Here comes the path.”
"Besides, Mr. Sugar, I really like your work."
"I see."
As for the statement that he hopes to compete for the position of family heir, Xiuge temporarily regards it as a superficial argument. After all, his current situation is really special. Even if he searches through the entire Van En, he may not be able to find an illegitimate child who is fighting in the family.
cases of success.
Rather than being sucked into this whirlpool that makes people tremble all over.
After a brief period of clarity, hesitation and entanglement once again occupied Wei Lin's eyes: "I must admit that the conditions proposed by the princess are very tempting, but my intuition tells me that once I accept this invitation, I, or we, will face
Everything there is likely to be more dangerous than what happened in Salem."
Probably because he was in a dream, when this thought came to mind, Xiuge had already reached the far end of the deck as he wished.
Now that the words have been spoken, Sophia's plans and thoughts are very obvious. At least based on the current situation, she hopes that someone can explore the internal situation of the Ernst family for her.
"What a great ideal."
Xiuge said in a deep voice: "Because only by accepting it can I avoid facing such a dilemma again in the future... Only when I solve the mysteries in my body and solve the root causes of these troubles can I be truly free.
"
Shuge and Weilin, who were "sent" back to the room by the Ymir Legion soldiers, sat in the living room and fell into a long silence together.
"Good night!"
After Finn nodded, Sophia said to Shuge: "Then the afternoon of tomorrow is the deadline for you two to give your response."
To be honest, her appearance is quite interesting.
At this moment, even Wei Lin understood what Sophia meant.
Strange fish with huge wings and stubby limbs jumped up in groups from the side of the ship. They looked at Shuge, the only guest on the ship, in amazement. Their gills kept trembling and they made strange noises from their mouths.
.
Wei Lin lowered her head and reached out to take the water glass.
Wei Lin rolled her eyes, picked up the water glass, then stood up and walked to her room.
Xiuge continued to nod in cooperation.
Xiuge complained silently in his heart, but remained calm on the surface.
Wei Lin looked at the young man in front of her. She leaned back on the chair slightly, and then she said softly: "Mr. Shuge, I want to explain one thing first... I actually don't have any objections to you personally. , In fact, you are easier to get along with than almost all the young nobles in my impression."
Faced with this problem, Xiuge grinned helplessly: "Miss Weilin, my situation is different from yours... Counting from the past, the choices I can make have always been limited. Many times, I even There is no room for choice at all, and the reasons for all this are very complicated. It may be family, it may be my life experience, and of course it may be something else."
Wei Lin frowned slightly, but she did not refute what Shuge said. After listening to the last sentence, she asked curiously: "Real freedom? Okay, then suppose Mr. Shuge really does it one day What will you do if you get 'real freedom'?"
The princess who is about to show off her talents seems to be dissatisfied with the current situation in the Kingdom of Walter, which is divided by a considerable number of nobles and controls the military power. After all, the army is her foothold at the moment, so in this field , she would never be willing to share it with anyone.
Xiuge silently read out this name that was full of strange and ominous meanings.
"Who knows? Maybe I will stuff all the princes, princesses, noble family law committees, etc. into the same work, and then write them in a way that everyone will like to read."
Seeing that Xiuge did not show any abnormality, Weilin finally returned to the usual state, and her voice became cold again: "My pursuit, or my personal goal, has always been Digging further and studying the secrets of magic, so I never mind paying any price for them, even if I may be in danger and pay the price with my life."
"Your Highness, can you give us some time to discuss and think?"
Xiuge called out twice, and the female mage who was a little dizzy finally woke up from her chaotic thoughts. She looked at Xiuge blankly and said "huh?" at the same time.
"I'm going to the bow of the ship to take a look..."
…
Sophia seemed to know that Shuge would not give her an immediate answer. She nodded slightly, then turned to look at the housekeeper Finn: "Arrange a meeting for me with the envoys of Delan and Salem. As for Merlinle and The mages of the alliance will be left to professionals to deal with...The meeting of the alliance countries will be adjusted to the morning of the day after tomorrow."
"Black Sun Society?"
Thinking of this, an idea quickly formed in Xiuge's mind, so he looked up at the tall figure opposite and asked: "Your Highness, let me ask a question... Marshal Zeke, or the Ernst family in the army Has the influence in the system hindered you?"
"Well, it's even weirder."
This time, it was Xiuge's turn to look strange.
Sophia's eyes paused on Shuge's face. She did not nod or shake her head, but said directly: "Marshal Zeke is my military teacher, and he is also the founder of the current military theory of the Kingdom of Votel. The Ernst family, on the other hand, has continuously contributed precious elite talents to many fields throughout the kingdom, especially in the military field... They are all indispensable pillars of the kingdom."
After saying that, she suddenly showed a bright smile: "Don't worry, I won't do anything ruthless to keep the secret. Of course, I also hope that you two can keep it secret...Today's dinner was very pleasant.
We can have a good conversation if we have a chance."
"Of course, but only for the next two days."
"There is no need for Princess Sophia to deceive me, and what she said can be matched with the clues Weilin provided... If what Sophia said is true, that means that I have never really
Out of the sight of the Ernst family, surveillance on the original owner of this body had already begun when he left Bolden and was sent to Salem."
Xiuge responded, then he fetched a kettle from the side and poured a glass of water for Wei Lin: "If it is really difficult to make a choice, you might as well rest for a night first. Maybe you can think more clearly after a sleep.
."
"Miss Vereen? Miss Vereen?"
There seemed to be an "island" slowly emerging from the sea in the distance. After casting a cold glance in the direction of the giant ship, the island sank into the water again.
Xiuge once again dreamed of the boundless ocean, and once again dreamed of the huge ship.
This is bound to be a sleepless night.
"So I will choose to accept this invitation."
Not only that, the behavior of the Ernst family gave him a bad association.
And this time, the upcoming troubles are more complicated than those she faced before. As a scholar who adheres to the idea and habit of "solving problems according to problems", she is really worried about this power swamp full of dilemmas and interpersonal relationships.
...thank you for not being sensitive.
It's just that what makes him confused and nervous is not the choice he may make next, but the mystery that exists in the movements of the Ernst family.
The light in the living room is still bright, and the female elf sculpture by the door is still charming, but under the light, there are inevitably some shadows and blind spots on her body that cannot be illuminated.
"So, what do Mr. Sugar think about this invitation?"
Xiuge approached it, but when he got closer, he couldn't see the shape of the ship's prow clearly. It seemed to be constantly changing, like a twisting fog, and sometimes it seemed impossible to distinguish.
The humanoid figures of both sexes sometimes look like a strange and ferocious beast, and sometimes they look like an octopus with countless terrifying tentacles.
In a strange change, the sun was gradually blocked by thick clouds.
Xiuge cast his sight into the distance, only to see a faint thin line appearing on the horizon.
The sea next to the big ship was still extremely calm, but underneath this calmness, there was a suffocating sense of oppression.